The MCU has a ton of fans, who tune in to each new movie and the shows that are streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The franchise's popularity was arguably never higher than during the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, where the entire shared universe was battling against Thanos and his forces. In between the movies a viral fan theory that Ant-Man could kill the Mad Titan by shrinking, jumping into his anus, and then growing. Turns out that infamous Thanos butthole theory actually has comic-book precedent, but there's a big reason why it didn't work.
Those of us who have watched the Marvel movies in order know the chatter about Ant-Man possibly being able to make Thanos explode from the inside out has gone on for years, with even Paul Rudd weighing in on the concept. But ScreenRant pointed out that the hero attempted this strategy in the comics, and it didn't exactly work out.
In Marvel comics, Ant-Man tries to use the shrink-and-grow technique on Luke Cage. Rather than entering the hero's body through his butt, he instead shrinks and hides in his food. But Cage has steel skin, and his insides are just as strong as his exterior. So Ant-Man was unable to grow and kill the street-level Marvel hero.
Obviously Luke Cage and Thanos are very different power levels, but the concept behind the Ant-Man/Thanos' butt theory was the same. Thanos is super strong, with Iron Man only able to break his skin and form a very small cut during the battle on Titan in Avengers: Infinity War. So smart money says that Paul Rudd's signature Avenger wouldn't have fared well if he attempted to kill Thanos in his unconventional way during Endgame.
In the end, Ant-Man never actually faced Thanos in battle on the big screen. While he was a key factor to Endgame's Time Heist and that final fight, he never actually came to blows with the Mad Titan. That honor went to Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, at least until the Avengers were assembled in the portal sequence.
Especially given how its been disproven in the comics, it feels all the more unlikely that we'll ever see Ant-Man trying to enter someone's body in any upcoming Marvel movies. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone ends up suggesting it for comedic purposes in something like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
It should be interesting to see what happens next for Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, especially following the disappointing box office performance of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The MCU is in a strange place, and only time will tell if/how it recovers.
The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th. Be sure to skim the 2024 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies this year.
